Karl A. Kolb

Karl A. Kolb A retired Horticulturist and Aptos resident died at 93 yrs. of age on Nov. 18, 2007. He was a native of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin and attended schools in Beaver Dam, Fond du Lac and Appleton, Wisconsin. He played baseball for 4 years at Fond du Lac High School and played pro baseball from 1934 to 1938. In 1938 he joined the F.W. Woolworth Co. in Minneapolis, Minn. He joined the U.S. Navy in Jan. 1942 and served 47 months in the Pacific War Theater. He spent 27 months in the Quadalcanal and Solomon Island campaigns. He spent 20 months as Chief Signalman aboard the USS Lander APA 175 which participated in the Iwo Jima, Quam, Okinawa and Phillipine campaigns. After the war, he purchased the Beaver Floral Co. in Beaver Dam, Wisc. and grew cut flowers and plants for the retail and wholesale markets. In 1957, he moved to California with his wife, Jeanne, and three young sons. He settled in Los Gatos and joined the Agriform International Chemical Co. of Woodland, Ca. and Hercules Inc., of San Francisco as a turf grass agronomist. He successfully introduced the Nitroform product to the U.S. golf course, park and nursery markets. In 1967, he joined a group of entrepreneurs and established the Sierra Chemical Co. of Milpitas, Ca. His company successfully introduced and produced the controlled release fertilizer, Osmocote, to the U.S. and International nursery and specialized agriculture markets. Mr. Kolb was instrumental in its development. He spent 23 years with Sierra as a Horticulturist, Sales Manager, Technical Service Director and Manager of Hawaiian Horticultural sales. He retired in 1990. During his business career, he was active in the following organizations: Tree Chairman, Board Member and Secretary of the Rio Del Mar Improvement Association of Aptos. He negotiated a County permit to landscape a traffic island at the intersection of Rio Del Mar Blvd. at Club House Dr. He was also Tree Chairman of the Aptos Community Alliance. He remarried in 1986 to Rosalie Charland, the mother of 5 sons. They had a happy, healthy and fulfilling marriage for 21 years. He joined Aptos SIRS Branch 104 in 1987 and participated as Attendance Chairman, Treasurer and on the Board. He was an associate member of the Hawaiian and California Associations of Nurserymen. In Wisconsin, he was a member of the Ohio State Univ. Florists Association. He was a member of Beaver Dam's Elks, Eagles, Knights of Columbus and Greens Chairman of Old Hickory Golf Course. In California, he was an associate member of the American Institute of Landscape Architects and a member of the International Board of Directors. He belonged to the St. Joseph's Catholic Community in Capitola, Ca. and served as a Eucharistic Minister for many years. In 1997, Mr. Kolb was named Community Member of the year by the Aptos Chamber of Commerce for his work in the Pine Pitch Canker Disease Program that threatens the Urban Forests of Aptos and Santa Cruz Counties. He is survived by his wife, Rosalie A. Kolb, and three sons, Karl G. Kolb and wife Beth, of Chippewa Falls, WI. Gregory J. Kolb of San Francisco, CA. and Garrett M. Kolb and wife Kathy of Los Gatos, CA. Mr. Kolb also leaves behind his sister Eileen Kirsh of Beaver Dam, WI., and ten grandchildren: Christina of San Francisco, Veronica of Santa Barbara, Carmel of Santa Barbara, Erica Mayfield of Dumas, TX, Jarrod Howell of Dallas, TX, Courtney & Whitney of Jefferson, OR., Christopher, Carly and Anna of Los Gatos, CA. He is also survived by three step-grandchildren, Allison Walewski of Los Gatos, CA. and Kelly Lee and Julia Radke of Chippewa Falls, WI., as well as, three great-grandchildren, Matthew and Elisa Mayfield of Dumas, TX. and Kiran Lee of Chippewa Falls, WI. A memorial Mass celebrating the life of Karl will be held at St. Joseph's Church in Capitola on November 30th at 11 a.m. with a Celebration of Life following at Seascape Clubhouse in Aptos, Ca. Private burial services will be held in Los Gatos. Donations in his memory may be sent to Hospice Caring Project of Santa Cruz County, 940 Disc Drive, Scotts Valley, CA 95066.